Red Dress Ink Fans discussion
Random Thoughts
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Dawson's Creek never really interested me. I just never got into it.
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I had en employee come in and sit down in my office today to have a closed door conversation about this person's feelings regarding the workplace and how they've changed since this person started. And I have seen some of the stuff that this person mentioned - different people, but same actions. Being that it's a family owned company with some family members that work here, I'm left pondering how to address the issue, and feeling like I either have to tread very lightly, and risk having upper management pissed off at me (and that would be doing my job), or do nothing and disappoint the employee (and others possibly who have not come forward), lose their faith in me as an HR person (and rightly so), and stay off the radar of upper management. It's been weighing pretty heavily on my mind since the conversation this morning.
I have a "community" that I can log into through our insurance broker, however, there seems to be an issue with my login and I haven't been able to get in there all day. So I guess I'm left to think about it over the weekend and hope the login issue gets resolved on Monday.
Sounds like time for a job change, Stacy. Is there anyway to present "suggestions" to management in a way that wouldn't threaten them, but would make the employees think you're at least trying?
One thing you will find is that even though your hands might be tied, sometimes employees just like that someone has listened to them. Many times the workers feel unappreciated by management and they need to get some steam off their chest. Given that it is a small company, there will probably be less room for you to do what is the right thing. Will email you tonight about everything :)
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I have no problem presenting suggestions, as I have done so on various different things since I've been here. And they've all pretty much been shot down for one reason or another. Part of the problem is trying to figure out how to tackle each situation that was brought up by this person. Some sound like they could be easy fixes, others....not so much - and that's where I'm stuck. Especially as part of it involves the sister of one of the VPs.
Kourtney - I'm guessing you're probably right about that. She did thank me more than once for letting her vent. And, given that she's been here longer than me and knows about the nepotism (who couldn't if they work here?), she probably knows there isn't a whole lot I can really do. Plus, with her direct supervisor being out on vacation until next week, I can't do a whole lot right now anyway.
I did finally get into the "community" and posted a "this is my situation, how would you handle it" post, but sadly, I haven't received any replies. It really does make me sad too because there are quite a few people on there that are really knowledgeable and have been in HR for decades. I thought someone could at least offer some guidance, if not real life experience.
Stacy,I think this sounds like a good time to start volunteering at your library. It makes for great venting opportunities. :)
Oh no...I'm one of the ones in HR for over a decade!! I WANT THAT TIME BACK!
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Kourtney - LOL, I'll get there too after a while. I guess the only thing I can say is that after over a decade as an Admin. Asst. for a retail real estate company, I am quite knowledgeable in a lot of the dealings with that. Or, I'm just really good at assisting. *shrugs*
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Yes, the most random things that pop into my head at the most random times.....but we're all a little bit crazy in our own way, right? :)
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Going from having 328 hours of PTO to ZILCH has been really rough on me this summer. I finally passed my 90 days, so at least this holiday will be paid.
I am SO glad we have a 3 day weekend coming up! I desperately need a break! Stacy - you are hilarious. There are so many words I will type and then sit there and question it. ha. The other day I could NOT spell Resurrection if my life depended on it. I was telling someone I was watching the show & had to press info on the DVR to figure it out. ha!
I would totally volunteer at the library but they only let kids do that. My sister did it when she was younger.
Stacy wrote: "Here's my random thought for the day - have you ever thought about the word, won't? If it's supposed to be a contraction of will not, shouldn't it instead be, willn't? Crazy, because as I typed it,..."Haha, Stacy, that is so random. :) I have no idea why I remember this, but when I was in elementary school I do remember my teacher telling us about contractions. Won't is a contraction for will not because willn't sounds weird and isn't a word. Yeah, I do remember her giving that explanation. But now that you say it, won't also works for would not...weird! Although that is wouldn't. Now I'm confusing myself! :)
And yay to the three-day weekend!! I can't believe Labor Day is already here. Memorial weekend feels like it was freaking yesterday! Does anyone have fun plans for the long weekend?
I don't have anything officially planned...just want to get sleep, lay by the pool, get brunch with friends, work out and READ. I need to get out of this reading funk. I think the problem is that I'm in the middle of the Heather Wells series and all I can think about is how I want to read something else. Don't get me wrong - I love Meg Cabot and the Heather Wells series. But when I spend so much time reading a series I get bored of it and want to read something else. But I'm weird and HAVE to read an entire series in a row, even when I want to start something else. Hopefully I can get that finished this weekend and then get caught up on my other books. :)
I started watching Witches of East End. I've only halfway in to the first episode, but I think I'm going to like it. It's on Lifetime, so hopefully it'll replace the hole Drop Dead Diva left in my heart (which was also on Lifetime).
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Stacy - you are hilarious. There are so many words I will type and then sit there and question it. ha. The other day I ..."
LOL, it's a legitimate question though, I think. :)
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Hey, we all have our idiosyncrasies. I don't have to read a series straight on through, but I do have to read it in order whether it's meant to be or not.
Plans for the weekend? Going out to my bf's parent's house at some point, they live on a lake, so it's the last "lake" weekend of the year, or so I've been told. Other than that, college football starts this weekend! I'm so excited! My mom & stepdad are having a big Notre Dame game opener to do at their house on Saturday for it. Game Day Saturdays are upon us once again. :) You're right, Bianca, the summer has flown. It seems like just yesterday I was watching the spring Blue & Gold game, and now they're starting the season. And best yet, Golson is back! TMI for those of you that don't care/get into football, but Golson was the best quarterback (and a redshirt freshman to boot!) they had two years ago. He was suspended from playing last year due to cheating. Grrrr....sometimes we make stupid mistakes. But I'm excited that he's back, and hoping that he practiced on his own. :)
Oh, and you're welcome for confusing you with will not and would not. ;) But your memory is amazing!
I remember something from a spelling book when I was little too. There was a picture of a boy and it said something like "Will Not is so lazy, he signs his name Won't." I definitely canNOT read a series all in a row like that. I can sometimes read 2 in a row but that's my limit.
My plans for the weekend involve being extremely lazy and relaxing. I want to sleep in, read a lot, watch some stuff on the DVR, and hang out with my boyfriend. The following weekend is my brother's wedding!
My big holiday plans :)Packing. Pack up everything under the sun so that when next weekend rolls around I am ready for the movers!
I miss reading! I only really have time to read now during my 30 min lunch break. I can't wait as we are buying new bookcases for our new townhome! Can't wait to unpack my books!
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Kourtney - you're moving in together? YAY! I'm so excited for you!!!
Oops I forgot to mention that?Hey ladies guess what!?! Scott and I are moving in together :) :) :) We found a townhome and I move in next weekend, then he moves in after his next work trip. So my brand new bookcases have to wait for his return. Yay!!
Kourtney,Congratulations!
Stacy,
It is great therapy! I hope you can work it out!
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Jencey - thanks, me too!
Congrats, Kourtney! That's awesome. :)
LOL Stacy you're so bad!! No girly decor as we've already decided what goes on the walls. Plus my girly picture he actually really likes - and with his soccer stuff? Yeah I'll get my stuff up too :)This time next week I will be in my new townhome...but he will be on a plane to London...and so life goes :)
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It's important to maintain a sense of self. ;) You know what's funny though? I've been in my house for a year and a half almost and still haven't hung any pictures, except for in Morgan's room. smh
But I'm really excited for you guys! What does he do again? Maybe I need a career switch so I can travel all over on the company's dime too. :)
Good random: I finally got the job interview that I was waiting for after all the testing I did and having the first interview rescheduled twice. I interviewed for four different positions at one time (about an hour long)and was offered a position about three hours later. I accepted the offer and start the new job on September 16th. I am so excited to get out from where I am at. My new title will be FMLA Claims Processor. I will approve and deny FMLA claims as well as keep track of employee attendance. Usually with this place of business they hire through a temporary service so you have to know someone that works there (which I did) to get in. They have excellent benefits which is a bonus! I am ready to not have to deal with retail customers anymore. I gave my two week notice today and I still felt bad about it. Stacy, they still have positions open :).
Bad Random: It's only Tuesday and feels like Monday!
Tara wrote: "Good random: I finally got the job interview that I was waiting for after all the testing I did and having the first interview rescheduled twice. I interviewed for four different positions at one t..."Tara, congrats!! That's so exciting. :)
Putting in a two weeks notice is so uncomfortable. I was freaking out about it at old my job - major anxiety all weekend and up until I walked out of the office that day. Ahh! But when I finished letting everyone know I just felt a huge sign of relief.
Anyway, your new job sounds really cool! Let us know how it is when you start. :)
Ah Tara so you can commiserate with me! That's what I do although it is just for a hospital. My fancy title is "HR Specialist - Leave Administrator"
Tara congratulations! I hope you enjoy your new job!My good random in very few words "Decatur Book Festival."
bad random: The scheduling for some of the authors overlapped. I missed Emily Giffin but saw her in June at Patti Callahan Henry's release party. I also would have bought more books but the bookseller at one location would not keep the books at the location for the author.
Kourtney wrote: "Ah Tara so you can commiserate with me! That's what I do although it is just for a hospital. My fancy title is "HR Specialist - Leave Administrator""Yes I can Kourtney! I am excited to do something different that I have never done before. I am so bored at my current job and the pay sucksso this is definitely a better opportunity!
Bianca wrote: "Tara wrote: "Good random: I finally got the job interview that I was waiting for after all the testing I did and having the first interview rescheduled twice. I interviewed for four different posit..."Thanks Bianca! I will definitely let you know how it goes. I am excited to start the new job and meet new people. I felt the same way all weekend and it didn't help it was a long weekend too. I do feel better telling everyone but I still feel bad.
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That's AWESOME Tara! Congrats!!!! Where is it? Sounds like Stryker with all the hassle you went through. Or is it Kellogg? I may have to apply for these positions.... Excellent benefits? Like GGP or better?
I'm surprised Matt hasn't texted or messaged me telling me that you're leaving. :)
I have two people submitting FMLA right now - one is pregnant, due in November, and the other's wife is pregnant, due in February. Certainly no toe dipping to test the waters there!
Tracking attendance is a pain in the ass when there's a communication breakdown. :/ I hope it's a lot easier for you!
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Ha! Right down to the title we are twins. Except I don't have the fancy schmnacy "Leave Administrator" tacked on to the end of mine. ;)
I applied for a Human Resources Coordinator position that's temp to hire thought a temp agency over the weekend. I have an email from them asking what I'm looking for as far as wages and duties go. Not quite sure how to answer that just yet.....
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My good random in very few words "Decatur Book Festival."
bad random: The scheduling for some of the authors overlapped. I missed Emily G..."
Sounds like you had a great time! That would've been awesome to go to. I'm glad you got to see Emily Giffin, even if it was at another event. :)
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If I can get out of here any time soon, I'll feel bad leaving, but not too much, and only because I just started three months ago. That said, I can see why they've had four HR people (not including myself) in the last four years. Going through old employee records, I have unearthed quite a bit more former HR employees that I would've thought there could have been. Not a good sign....not a good sign at all.
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Bad Radom: My step-dad got me drunk in less than 25 minutes. LOL! They have a bar in the basement and there were a bunch of people watching the game down there. I was upstairs and he came up asking if I'd had a [insert shot name that I cannot remember here] shot before. I said no and asked what was in it. I was then told to get my butt downstairs and try it.
Two of those shots (Rum Chata and some kind of cinnamon whiskey), a shot of Rum Chata by itself (the response to my question of what is it, never heard of it), a shot of Buttershots (blech!), a shot of some kind of blue vodka, I can't remember the name of it right now, a half shot of Patron, a shot of Watermelon Pucker, a shot of Cherry Berry Pucker, a shot of the homemade apple pie stuff I made at Christmas (made with Everclear), and, as I tried to walk away and go back up stairs before I had to crawl up the stairs, a shot of some berry flavored Bacardi. I was drinking Smirnoff Ice Raspberry before that too. So much for me driving home. Poor Greg had to drive when he'd been working pretty much the whole time while we were there. (He was on call this weekend.)
Luckily, I had a water chaser for the last few shots and continued to drink water (after I finished my Raspberry Smirnoff and a Razz-ber-ita) the rest of the night, along with taking four ibuprofen before going to bed. :) What a way to start the season! Haha!
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It's a knitting book and it has patterns for stuff to knit for dogs! I'm so excited and can't wait to get it!
Stacy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Good random: I finally got the job interview that I was waiting for after all the testing I did and having the first interview rescheduled twice. I interviewed for four different posit..."The job is at a place called Basic (Benefits Administration Service International Corporation) in Portage. It's located in the Portage Industrial Park area on Shaver and Melody. So far the information I got, they have great benefits. Their 401k is excellent. They automatically give you 3% and if you put in 4% they match 4% dollar for dollar. The health insurance is good so if you cover only yourself you don't pay anything and it's cheap to add another person. If you opt out of the insurance altogether they pay you every month to not have it. There are yearly bonuses as well as other stuff I can't remember right now.
I think Matt thought I was joking at first when I gave my notice. LOL! I am surprised he didn't contact you either.
Stacy wrote: "Good Random: Notre Dame beat Rice this weekend. :)Bad Radom: My step-dad got me drunk in less than 25 minutes. LOL! They have a bar in the basement and there were a bunch of people watching the g..."
Well....it really doesn't take a lot to get you drunk Stacy, LOL! I have had the Rum Chata and cinnamon whiskey shots at Jac's a couple of times. It's so good. I love Rum Chata anyway!!
Stacy wrote: "Kourtney wrote: "Ah Tara so you can commiserate with me! That's what I do although it is just for a hospital. My fancy title is "HR Specialist - Leave Administrator""Ha! Right down to the title w..."
I would just tell them exactly what you are looking for in pay. It may be negotiable through the temp service.
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LOL, that's who our Flex Spending Program is through. I'll check them out and see what they have available. Thanks for the heads up!
And yes, I know, I'm a lightweight when it comes to drinking. Never built up a tolerance. :)
I haven't responded to the temp email yet, but I will tonight. Last night was a bit on the busier side.
Tara wrote: "Stacy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Good random: I finally got the job interview that I was waiting for after all the testing I did and having the first interview rescheduled twice. I interviewed for four d..."Tara, those benefits sound great! I haven't heard of a company paying you if you opt out of insurance...how cool! I would've definitely taken advantage that in the past.
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Some companies do it because it's cheaper than having coverage on the employee. And if an employee can get coverage through a spouse or parent, it's a way to encourage them to do that.
Then, you have those very rare companies that cover 100% of the cost of insurance, like my bf's company. He's looking into seeing if he can put my daughter on there when their open enrollment comes up since she's a dependent in the same household. If so, that would put him at covering six people, including himself, for free. Crazy, right? No complaints here though! :)
Bianca wrote: "Tara wrote: "Stacy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Good random: I finally got the job interview that I was waiting for after all the testing I did and having the first interview rescheduled twice. I interview..."The only other company I know if that pays you to not take the benefits is where my husband works and it's for the city we live in. He is a government employee and they pay even more for you to not take the coverage.
Stacy wrote: "Bianca wrote: "Tara wrote: "Stacy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Good random: I finally got the job interview that I was waiting for after all the testing I did and having the first interview rescheduled twi..."Nice! That would be awesome if he can add her. I wish insurance was always free. I know, wishful thinking :)
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There are others out there that do it. I have sat in on many webinars since I started here and it has been brought up by other people on the webinar before. If you think about it, it's a nice perk that the company could offer, and could be part of the reason someone decides to take the job.
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Wouldn't it be nice? Hell, I'd be happy if the cost to the employees was a little cheaper. I have gone through old employee files here and saw (a long time ago) it was less than $50 to cover the employee's whole family!
Greg's company is awesome all around though. He just found out last month that anyone whose kids enroll in college get $1,000 for each kid (one time only, of course) to help pay for whatever costs they want to put it towards. Someday, I swear I'm going to try to get a job there. The only thing that keeps me from doing it now is the drive to Grand Rapids. Not diggin' that, especially in the winter.
He gets quarterly bonuses too which are usually a nice sum of money. And, they split their dividend profits (or something like that) among all the employees. And the cherry on top - they have an office in London!!! :)
What kind of job does Greg have? It sounds like a good company!
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They even send gifts for employees' birthdays. He got this thing in the mail called a Man Crate and it had a brand new, fun-sized, old-school Nintendo with two games, and a bunch of other stuff in it. That was the replacement one they sent because they sent the first one (which had a ton of grilling stuff in it) to his old address. Instead of waiting to see if he got it, they sent the second one.
They also get Am/Ex gift cards at Thanksgiving and some kind of bonus or extra at Christmas. They also had a really nice holiday party last year that we went to with an open bar. ;)
He's always saying he loves his job and the company he works for. And he's not being the least bit sarcastic. In fact, I think he enjoys saying it because he knows I'm super jealous being stuck in the hole that I'm at. He can be a butthead like that sometimes. :) But hey, at least one of us is happy with our job/company, right?
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Friday Night Knitting Club (other topics)The Billionaire Who Wasn't (other topics)
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Vanishing Girls (other topics)
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Alyson Noel (other topics)Heather Wardell (other topics)
I cannot get into Dawson's Creek. I tried! But the whining of Joey and the constant crying of Dawson just gets old. I made it through 2 and a half seasons before jum..."
OMG I loved Dawson's Creek. I started watching it earlier this week and was hopelessly addicted. I can understand why it would get annoying, but I don't know...I loved it. Have you seen the OC? I've never watched it, but I really want to! I just can't find it on Netflix or On Demand or anything, and I don't want to buy them.